What's awesome?

Vicodin. Vicodin is awesome. I have been sick for a couple days and it has all been capped off by a bleeding ear infection that even made the doctor looking at it cringe. I was in a lot of pain. Now I am not. God bless vicodin.

Fallout 3: The Review

So, I have been playing Fallout 3 now since release and am on my second play through. I find myself coming back to it all the time and often thinking about it when not playing it. It is not a perfect game, but it isn't too awfully far off.

The action is fast and over the top. Even with the VATS (Vault Assisted Targeting System) that freezes time and allows you to pick your target and then isolate a body part if wanted, it always seems nearly frantic. There are bullets flying, grenades bouncing and lasers just whipping around. The action is also very gory, and I don't care how much I sound like a thirteen year old boy when I say it, which is very satisfying in a primal way. It is nothing to see blood and body parts just shoot across the screen, all in an over the top stylized way. I actually blew the limbs off a raider with a BB Gun, so don't expect realism.

The game is HUGE. There are so many places to go, secrets to find and quests to complete. In my current play through, I am almost level 10 (halfway to the level 20 cap) and I haven't even completed the second mission for the main plot. I have spent the time searching for weapons, followers and other goodies I missed the first time. Luckily, there is a fast travel option that will be familiar to anyone that might have play Elder Scrolls: Oblivion. Every place you explore feels different and usually have a story to go along with it. You will find old police and military buildings with computer logs to read, notes left by those before you and many other things that will make you feel like this isn't just your world.

The story is brilliant. Set in an alternate earth where after World War II we actually made "The World of the Future" that people thought we would have in the 50s. That's why everything has a strange post-nuclear 1950's feel to it. The style just helps with the overall juxtaposition that is this game. You will feel compelled to seek your story and find out what is hiding in the backlog of this world.

The leveling system is a lot of fun. Each level you get to pick a perk. These perks will grant you special abilities that range from general stat increases, new abilities or even the ability to eat corpses to regain health. Yes, that is correct. If you don't mind being an evil person that people dislike, you can eat the dead. Some of the perks truly make the game stand out above all other games. Unlike other games, Fallout 3 is not afraid to give you the ability to be an uber character in this world. By level 20, you will find few creatures that can give you trouble. I don't mean this in a bad way either. By the time this game is over, you feel like you have come so far that it's only right that you can take someone's head off with a BB gun.

There are only a few complaints that I have and they are short. First, I would have like to have seen an actual weapons customization option. Adding scopes, silencers and what not to improve your weapons. In general, I just wish some events were a little bigger. Without giving any spoilers, some of the battles at the end of the game are really cool and feel epic, but I wish there were more of them. I really wish I felt like I was fighting with a band of people for a great good more often.

Overall, this was a great game and is a must play for just about any sort of gamer out there. It has something for everyone and the execution is pretty damn smooth.

Carl's Rating: 9/10
Ryan's Rating: pending

Absinthe: Round Two

Last night I had what I like to call a "Bonus Night." An unplanned night off in addition to my usual two, where I don't have to be productive if I don't feel like it. I thought I'd get in some quality WoW time and form a second opinion on Absinthe. I was hopeful that the Green Fairy would impress me more than it had initially. My opinion was certainly changed...

Over the course of probably four hours I had two tumbler-fulls. Almost immediately I started to get a headache. Not the usual kind from drinking, the one all the way in the back of your head. It was right up front, pulsing and sharp, in the middle of my forehead. And it stayed there the whole time. I stayed as true to the recipe as I could, but I was also trying to drink quickly. I simplified the process by just dumping the sugar cube into the glass and mixing it up with a spoon. No difference in taste, so that's a plus.

So, did I get drunk? Not really. True to legend, my body felt a little drunk, but my mind was clear. Clearly in pain, that is. If you can handle the taste long-term, and don't mind a headache like a brain-stab, then give Absinthe a try. That being said, I think everyone should try it at least once, just to say they have. It's a drink from olden times, and like all history, it's better if experienced firsthand.

Fable 2: Final Thoughts

So, I finished Fable 2 a few days ago. Is it a better game than the original? Hmmmm...probably.

I'm not going to waste time talking about the original Fable. You've either played it and loved it, or you haven't played it and don't plan to. Fable 2 isn't necessarily a sequel, so there's no real story to catch up on. It takes place like 300 years after the first one, so the world of Albion is a familiar, but different place. You play an anonymous "Hero" who must change the world somehow. Along the way you meet colorful characters, see exotic locations, fight strange and terrifying monsters, and become more powerful, rich, and famous than you ever dreamed.

While it's true that how you play the game dictates how different actions will play out, it is still a fairly linear story. And it's a familiar story as well, but that's ok, because you'll have so much fun playing through it that you won't care.

Like the first Fable, however, Fable 2 does have some problems. Minor ones, sure, and not deal breakers, but problems nonetheless.
The camera is very loose. There is no zoom, and it tends to get caught behind set pieces.
The controls, especially for movement, are very loose as well, and there were a couple times when I just couldn't get to where I needed to go, and had to restart the game. Once, I got trapped in a barrel.
The targeting system is frustrating when used, so I didn't use it.
But...it does have it's triumphs. The quest system has been streamlined, as has everything else that used a card in the first game. Gaining renown, now much more of a necessity, is easier as well. I believe where Fable 2 really shines, however, is in the addition of your best friend: the dog. Just as nameless as you are, and just as important, your dog is your constant companion. He helps you fight, finds treasure for you, and never leaves your side even if you treat him like shit. I was worried that my dog would get on my nerves, but he never did. They really did well by including him.

To sum it up...Fable 2 is a great game. Yeah, better than the original Fable. A triumph, and well worth your play time.